Tetsuya Wakuda

Tetsuya Wakuda grew up in the Japanese town of Hamamatsu in the Shizuoka Prefecture. With a limited knowledge of English, Tetsuya moved to Sydney, Australia, in 1982, when he was just 22.

He found his very first job as a kitchen hand at Fishwives in Surry Hills. A year later he was introduced to Sydney chef Tony Bilson, who was looking for a Japanese cook to make sushi at Kinsela’s. It was at Kinsela’s that Tetsuya learned classical French technique, forming the beginnings of his own cooking style, marrying the French technique with the Japanese philosophy of using natural, seasonal flavours.

Tetsuya left Kinsela’s in 1983 and, in partnership with the head waiter, opened Ultimo’s. In 1989, he went on to open his own restaurant, Tetsuya’s, in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle. In 2010, he opened Waku Ghin in Singapore.

Over the course of his career, Tetsuya has earned international recognition as one of the world’s great chefs, acknowledged by his peers, the media, and diners around the globe. Tetsuya’s was featured in London-based Restaurant Magazine’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants, from the list’s inception in 2002 through 2013, and in 2013 he was the first chef outside of Japan to be recognized as one of the country’s Master of Cuisine by the Japanese government.

In 2016, Tetsuya earned first Michelin Star—for Waku Ghin. The restaurant was bumped up to two stars the following year. In 2017, he was further honored by Relais & Châteaux as the recipient of the annual Chefs Trophy 2017.